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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

What do you wish you had known whilst training to teach?

15 replies

prettyinpink23x · 22/06/2019 20:56

I am starting my PGCE in September and wondered if any one had any words of wisdom in terms of mistakes they made or things that they wish they had known before training to teach. Something to do with behaviour management would be ideal too like the best methods.
Thankyou

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 22/06/2019 21:21

Google Tom Bennett for behaviour management (or buy his books). He happily admits he was shit at it to start with so his techniques can be learned and don’t rely on presence or personality.

Which subject?

BringOnTheScience · 22/06/2019 21:26

Primary or secondary?

If primary ... you do NOT need to laminate everything!
Never spend longer making resources for a lesson than it'll take you to teach it.
You don't have to make everything from scratch, but do make sure that any downloaded or text book resources are fully suited to the lesson & free from errors.

Behaviour - follow your school's policy. You'll spend plenty of time observing your mentor before you teach their class. Follow their lead.

prettyinpink23x · 22/06/2019 21:51

Its secondary history and thankyou.

OP posts:
BoneyBackJefferson · 22/06/2019 22:03

Use resources and adapt them.

make sure you know who is in your classes.
Use seating plans.
Follow the schools sanction policy.
Make some time for yourself.
Don't be that student that knows everything and doesn't listen to your mentor.
Remember its all hoops and a means to an end, eventually you will be able to do whatever you want in your own way.

And the main thing, son't take anything personally, you will have to develop a skin like a rhino, but 9+ times out of ten the kids are dong what they are doing/saying because they are kids in a safe zone.

physicskate · 23/06/2019 19:22

Learn pupils' names as quickly as you can!! Take time to praise good behaviour.

Organise resources as you use them - don't leave that til 'you have time' as you never will. Pinch, share, steal as many resources from training schools and fellow trainees (at schools you aren't teaching at). It's easier to adapt than to create from scratch. It's likely you won't re-use what you've used on your pgce, so the more resources you have to adapt for later in your career, the better for you!

No questions are stupid (to ask other teachers). If there's something you need, ask! Don't wait to be told things you think you need to know.

The best lesson I ever had was sitting with an experienced teacher while she talked me through the thought process while she planned a lesson.

Good luck!

Fuzzyspringroll · 23/06/2019 19:30

Fake it till you make it.
I used to be a nervous wreck when I started training. 10+ years in and I'm no longer worried about it. Not fussed about taking assemblies or teaching classes I don't normally have.

Loads of what you'll be asked to do is bs. Do it anyway.

Your placement school might not be your kind of school. Think about what is important to you and then choose a suitable school for your NQT year. Sometimes it's also nice to be flexible and not get stuck in a particular way of teaching. (I started out in a very data-driven, outstanding and generally lovely school and in Year 6 for several years. I'm currently working in an independent, alternative education setting, with minimal data, children, who would stare at you blankly if you asked them for their targets and a mission statement, that encourages most lessons to be done outdoors and with as little formal input as possible.)

Good luck and try to enjoy it.

KneelJustKneel · 23/06/2019 19:31

Um not to! And ti qualify as a psych or OT instead...

Most people even if they've been teaching years feel anxious in September!

KneelJustKneel · 23/06/2019 19:33

Wow fuzzy! Love the sound of the outdoors school!

physicskate · 23/06/2019 19:37

Oh and lots of behaviour management has to do with your reputation, which only comes with experience and time in a setting. Don't be surprised a deputy head has amazing behaviour management. Get in to see young (female) teachers. Seeing practice about what doesn't work is sometimes as useful as seeing what works in someone who you think you could be like.

Ultimately, your behaviour management becomes better once an older pupil talks about you in a positive way to a younger one. I knew I'd made it when a child told her sister 'yeah, she's tough but fair. You'll have a great time as long as you aren't daft.' Half my battle had been won.

Everyone worries about behaviour management, you aren't alone )and by everyone, I mean experienced teachers too). It's a good thing to ask for help with a pupil if you need it. It's often handy to have an (adult) witness too if you've had a difficult interaction.

Always follow through.

LolaSmiles · 24/06/2019 19:59

Everyone worries about behaviour management. It takes time to develop the range of strategies to work the room really well. Until then use the behaviour policy as your starting point. You'll pick up the small preventative and redirecting things as you go.

Don't take things personally. Some lessons will be shit. Some days you'll feel really rubbish. Some days it can feel like a lesson you slaved over was ruined by a student. Some professional criticism may feel personal but it's there to help you learn. All of that is normal. Talk to your mentor. We will have seen it all before.

Avoid trainee group chats or at the very least know when to eye roll to yourself. There is nothing more annoying than show offs pretending that their mentor loves them and their 3rd ever lesson was almost outstanding, their students love them, they know everything there is to know, their department is falling over themselves to implement their new idea, their classes are doing so well, they've been promised a job by day 8. And equally, avoid feeding the moaning minnies who are always victims, always bitching about placements, always whining about how people don't get them, their school is awful, they're working 78 hours a day because it's worth it for the kids.

Read widely, read blogs, articles, good books.

Batch cooking is really helpful.

Block off time for your hobbies and social time and protect it religiously.

mineofuselessinformation · 24/06/2019 20:13

Make sure you're firm but fair with behaviour management (use the system in place in the school, but don't be heavy handed - just follow through when you need to.)
Keep any lessons that go well to be reused in the future, adapted if need be.
Don't be afraid to ask advice if you need to.

winewolfhowls · 24/06/2019 20:29

Get membership to hist ass and the journal teaching history

Teachit history is good for resources

Don't reply on one textbook, have a few for each exam course or topic. They will be cheaper second hand if you look at abebooks

Don't give out pens, give out pencils, you are more likely to get them back

SnugglySnerd · 24/06/2019 20:38

Ask teachers for their systems to manage marking. I still struggle with this after nearly 20 years.
Keep spare pens, pencils, board pen with you at all times. If you are in multiple classrooms put together a little kit of essentials. It will save you a lot of lesson time rummaging in drawers etc and make your lesson run more smoothly.
Don't be afraid to contact parents. It can have a massive impact on the behaviour and progress of many students. If I have phoned or emailed with a concern and the pupil improves I make sure I follow it up with a positive phone call. This helps keep the momentum going. When have had a shit day think of a couple of students who have tried hard/contributed well/done lovely homework/whatever and call their parents to praise them. It will mean you finish the day on a high, the parent will be thrilled and word soon spreads among the other students who will sudden keen to please you!
For a difficult class you need them to be occupied from the minute they enter the room so have a simple task on the board or photocopied to settle them down and get them interested in the lesson.

fairweathercyclist · 27/06/2019 12:12

Not a teacher or trainee teacher but these two jumped out at me:

make sure that any downloaded or text book resources are fully suited to the lesson & free from errors

so annoying as a kid to be asked to do something and then find there are mistakes on the worksheet

If I have phoned or emailed with a concern and the pupil improves I make sure I follow it up with a positive phone call

This is so amazing. I only ever got phone calls when ds was in trouble over something. Never for good news.

sadeyedladyofthelowlands63 · 30/06/2019 10:13

And the main thing, son't take anything personally, you will have to develop a skin like a rhino, but 9+ times out of ten the kids are dong what they are doing/saying because they are kids in a safe zone.

^^This times a thousand.

As for resources, find out what the department already has. There is absolutely no point spending three hours developing a fantastic set of "key points" flashcards if there are already three laminated sets sitting in the stock cupboard waiting to be used.

Follow the school policies (even if you don't agree with them), be consistent and ignore students who say " Miss so-and-so let's us"!

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